She developed a curriculum for community health workers to train Schenectady residents how to access medical services. She organized a "Bridges Out of Poverty" session at the college, on the impact of poverty on classrooms.

This might sound like the agenda of someone in the middle of her career. In fact, Vanderhoef is 23, and earning a teaching degree Saturday.

At Union Graduate College's commencement at Proctors, the Niskayuna resident will receive the school's Presidential Leadership Award for her lead role in creating the community health worker curriculum for Ellis Medicine. And she'll receive her second master's degree, the one that will allow her to pursue a lifelong passion. She was the recipient of a $40,000 federal Race to the Top scholarship to fund her studies for the degree.

She earned her first master's, as well as her bachelor's degree, from Cornell University in engineering, a subject she loves. But inspiring other young women to pursue science and math ultimately interested her more than pursuing those subjects as a career herself.

"I want to help students, inspire students and share my interest in technology with them," she said.

When the discussion turned to teaching, Vanderhoef lit up. Talking about her other numerous achievements, she was pleasant, thoughtful and polite. ("I think the engineering infiltrates everything," she quipped of her methodical ways.) She taught Regents physics at Schenectady High for the full year, a requirement for the degree at Union.

"I love it when students figure out a really challenging concept and you see that 'light bulb' moment," she said, her hands reaching over her head to grasp an imaginary orb.

The community health worker curriculum she developed came about from her volunteer work at the City Mission. Ellis staff approached City Mission about helping them determine how best to reach residents with the most need for health access, said Margaret Rogers-Meagher, a health services navigator for the Schenectady-based medical system.

"She saw the connection and she had the initiative to move forward on it," Rogers-Meagher said.

Vanderhoef doesn't have a teaching job lined up yet. This summer, she has been invited by Cornell Professor Ephrahim Garcia to work in his lab, on a project funded by the National Science Foundation to create electronics curriculum for high school teachers.

Garcia knew Vanderhoef from her previous work in his lab, investigating the potential for "flapping winged aircraft." She was part of a research team that used a seagull model to compare the efficiency of hinged and unhinged moveable wings.

Asked if anyone ever discouraged her from teaching, given better salaries for engineers or the push for young women to enter math and science fields, Vanderhoef said she hadn't noticed it.

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"I see what I want to do and that's what I'm going for, so I'm paying attention to that," she said.